TOS019 Shield of Faith with Lissa Applewhite (Part 5) ; for Audio
The Shield of Faith is part 5 of 7 of the series on the Truth of the Spirit Armor of God. Ephesians 6:16 says, “At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the evil one.” A shield is something we must pick up and hold up in front of us or it does no good! While a physical shield protects us physically, faith can protect our spiritual lives even in the middle of physical trials. Satan is always hurling his fiery darts of fear, doubt and worry in our direction, but the only time they can hit us is when we let our shield of faith down. When we allow doubt to creep in, as Peter did when distracted by the waves, we will start to sink.
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Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner presents Shield of Faith with Lissa Applewhite.
Ephesians 6:10-18 10 Finally build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power. 11Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil’s evil tricks. 12For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. 13 So put on God’s armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground. 14 So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, 15 and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace, 16 At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the evil one. 17 And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you.
So we have heard about the Belt of Truth, how Righteousness is our Breastplate, then how our feet are clothed with the Gospel of Peace. As we march forward we are told to take up the Shield of Faith! Up to this point the pieces of the armor have been articles of clothing we wear. But the shield we must “take up” or pick up. Something we must actually hold up in front of us or it does no good!
The Roman shield—a Scutum–was a huge slightly curved rectangular shield with a large knob, called the boss, in the center. The Average size of this shield was 3½ feet tall and up to three feet wide. The curved shape deflects the assault away from the soldier, and reduces the impact. The “boss” creates an offensive capacity to the shield, if the enemy advances towards the soldier then the “boss” can be used to shove the enemy back. Another feature of this shield is that if the army works together by placing their shields together they create a wall of protection, which can actually march forward.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen
Romans 8:24-25 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
“This doesn’t mean faith comes naturally or easily. Paul here makes the obvious but necessary point: You don’t hope for what you already have. Faith involves a huge element of truths. We must examine the evidence and see that God has proven Himself to be unchanging and consistent and then we must firmly believe that He will fulfill His promise to us.”
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith, no result of your own efforts but God’s gift.
“It takes us to believe in God to begin our walk with him, but after this He gives us a deeper living growing faith through the Holy Spirit.”
“In Daniel chapter 3 we learn of the mighty faith of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego who were willing to enter the fiery furnace for God. They refused to bow down and worship Nebuchadnezzar’s golden god. They had faith that God would protect them.”
Daniel 3:17-18 “If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then He will. But even if he doesn’t, Your Majesty, may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to gold statue that you have set up”
“A shield guards. While a physical shield protects us physically, faith can protect our spiritual lives even in the middle of physical trials. When Satan (through Nebuchadnezzar) attacked the values and beliefs of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, they were able to stand resolute and unwavering because of their faith. In their response, they essentially said, “God is capable of delivering us from this fate. We don’t know if He will or not, but that doesn’t matter. He gave us His commands, and we are going to keep them regardless of the physical outcome. We know He can just as easily raise us from the dead.”
Ephesians 6:16 Shields of faith with which you will be able to quench ALL the fiery darts of the wicked one
“A shield deflects. Satan is always hurling his fiery darts of fear, doubt and worry in our direction, but the only time they can hit us is when we let our shield of faith down—when we stop believing that God is in control; that He is working everything out for our good; that whatever happens is for the ultimate best of everyone involved, however little it seems to be that way.”
Matthew 14:28-31 Peter spoke up “Lord, if it is really you, order me to come out on the water to you.” “Come!” answered Jesus. So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he was afraid and started to sink down in the water, Save me Lord! He cried, At once Jesus reached out and grabbed hold of him and said “What little faith you have! Why did you doubt?
“A shield is the first line of defense. While the rest of our armor helps protect us from Satan’s onslaught, it is not what you ideally want to be using to absorb every hit. You do not, for instance, go out into battle intentionally blocking everything with your head.”
“When our faith in God’s omnipotence and care is strong, it is impossible for Satan to break through our shield and land an attack. But when we allow doubt to creep in, as Peter did when distracted by the waves, we will start to sink. The rest of our armor will be battered, and so will we. But an actively raised shield of faith prevents this otherwise inhibiting fatigue.”
Matthew 4:10 Jesus said to him “Go away, Satan!” The scripture says “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone
“A shield can incapacitate. When Christ was being tempted by Satan, His faith in the Word and commands of God repelled Satan for a time (Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Christ was tempted in all things, so this was certainly not the only encounter Christ had with the devil). The boss (the metal knob in the middle) on the Roman shields allowed soldiers to give their enemies a stun-inducing shove that would allow them to follow through with an attack. Our faith in God, as demonstrated by Christ, can also give Satan a good shove backwards and give us a chance to fight back by doing God’s will and work. Because God tells us that faith cannot just be in our minds, it must produce actions—works of obedience and service (James 2:20).”
“How else can the shield be used? The Roman military had an inventive and very effective tactic that made use of their large shields. When enemies would begin firing arrows and other projectiles at the army, the soldiers would close ranks into a rectangular array—called the testudo, or “tortoise,” formation—and those on the outside would use their shields to create a wall around the perimeter. Then those in the middle would raise their shields over their heads to protect everyone from airborne missiles. The result was a formidable human tank that could be stopped only through a tremendous effort.”
Ephesians 4:11-18 It was he who “gave gifts to people”; he appointed some to be apostles, others as prophets, others to be evangelists, others pastors and teachers. He did this to prepare all God’s people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ. And so we shall all come together to the oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ’s full statue. Then we shall no longer be children, carried by waves and blown about by every shifting wind of the teaching of deceitful people, who lead others into error by tricks they invent. Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head. Under His control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part work as it should the whole body grows and builds itself up through love,
“When the Roman army joined its shields together, it became an almost unstoppable force. And if we in God’s Church join our shields—that is, strengthen each other with our faith, building up and serving within the Body as we are able—we will become an unstoppable force able to take on any challenge.”
“We must remember as we fight that this is not simply our battle. This is the battle of all our brethren, both near and around the world. And if we are to win, it will only be once we put our faith in God and stand side by side, contending earnestly and as one for “our common salvation…the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).”
Discussion Questions
- Who’s faith do you best relate to: Noah, Abraham, David, Three from furnace, Peter, Paul? How you experienced a situation where one of these types of faith was needed?
- What situations have you felt Satan was attacking you with fiery darts and did faith make a difference?
- What are your thoughts on the Shield of Faith and the illustration of the size of a Roman shield? Do you think your shield is the size of the Roman shield or a small round shield? What about the image of the cross being a shield?
- How can we strengthen our shield?
- What are your thoughts on the effect of the community of the body of Christ as a way that we can increase the size of our Shield of Faith?
References & Resources for Shield of Faith:
18 Do all this in prayer, asking for God’s help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God’s people.
Hebrews 11:6 No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek Him.
James 2:19 Do you believe that there is only one God? Good the demons also believe- tremble with fear!
Other scriptures
Hebrews chapter 11
Psalms chapter 3
Psalms 35:1-10
1 Peter 1:5-10
1 John 5:4-5
1 Corinthians 10:13
